Low Back Cast
Cause: Hitting the water or ground on the back cast is caused by continuing to apply power too long through a wide arc, thus driving the line down; also by insufficient line speed to turn over the cast.
Solution: Make the back cast with a brisk backward movement, holding the wrist stiff. Stop power application abruptly when the rod reaches 1 o'clock.

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Wind Knots
Cause: Most commonly, knots in the leader are caused by "punching" the rod during power application.
Solution:Concentrate on accelerating the rod smoothly through it's arc; don't apply all the power at once.

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Hooking Line, Hitting Rod With Fly
Hooking the line or hitting the rod with the fly is caused by the same fault that ties wind knots. The correction is the same.

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Piling Up Line and Leader at End of Cast
Cause: Piling up the line and leader is usually caused by an inefficient wide loop. By powering the rod through a wide arc (often from 3 o'clock to 9), a wide loop is formed which cannot transmit enough energy to fully straighten the line.
Solution: Accelerate the rod briskly from 1 to 11 o'clock, stopping the rod abruptly. Remember, don't let any line slip from your left hand during the power application, only after.

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Snapping Off Fly
Cause: Snapping off the flies and cracking the leader on the back cast are caused either by starting the forward cast too soon, before the back cast has time to straighten, or by failing to use sufficient force in the back cast. In this case, it would never straighten.
Solution: Watch the back cast and start the forward cast when the line and leader are out straight behind. Use sufficient force in the back cast so it will straighten.

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Slapping Water
Cause: Splashing the line, leader, and fly down on the water, sometimes hard enough to sink a dry fly, is caused by aiming the forward cast too low.
Solution: Tilt the arc of power application backward a little so the forward cast straightens two or three feet above the water, then settles gently. In other words, aim your cast higher.

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Line Won't Go Out
Cause: When the line won't go out and straighten, even 30 feet of it, one or both of two casting faults committed by all beginners are nearly always to blame. The first is waving the rod through a great wide arc, instead of pushing it briskly through a narrow one. The second is permitting line to slip through the guides during the application of power.
Solution: Again, make sure you are powering the rod through a narrow arc, not a wide one. If your loops are large, you're using a wide arc. Having someone watch your cast and tell you what you're actually doing with the rod can be very helpful. Also, if you're working out line, you must not release the line from your left hand until the power application is completed.

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